Notes on negotiating pay
Short, specific writing about the parts of a negotiation that actually move the number — and about what nobody can honestly predict.
Your ask has a ceiling, and it usually isn't the band
The advertised band is usually not the real ceiling. The binding constraint is often the approval limit of the person across the table.
"That's the top of the band" — what to say next
Three replies for when they say the band is already at its top — what each one does, and how to tell which meaning you heard.
Why we won't give you a success rate
No salary tool can know your odds. Here is what we tell you instead, and why a success-rate percentage describes other people's negotiations.